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 Emma L. Watson. Salmon B. Ormsby, Clark E. Loomis, William H. Davis, and others, to defraud the United States out of a portion of its public lands, situated in Township 11 South, Range 7 East, Willamette Meridian, in the State of Oregon, by means of false and forged applications, affidavits and proofs of homested entries and settlement; and further, it is charged, that in furtherance of said alleged conspiracy, and to effect the objects thereof, said S. A. D. Puter did, on the 9th day of March, 1902, pay and deliver to me the sum of $2000, in money of the United States, the same being paid to me, as asserted by Puter, in the bills of the denomination of $1,000 each, to induce me to use my influence as a Senator with the said Binger Hermann, Commissioner of the General Land Office, to induce him, as such Commissioner of the General Land Office, to pass to patent 12 homestead entries, then pending before the General Land Office, covering lands in the State of Oregon, and each and all of which entries, it is alleged, were based upon false and forged homestead applications, affidavits, and proofs, and that in pursuance of such conspiracy, it is alleged, I did use my influence with said Binger Hermann, Commissioner of the General Land Office, to induce him to pass to patent said 12 homestead entries, knowing they were fraudulent.

These are the charges made against me, and which I am called upon to answer. My answer is as follows:

I assert in the most positive and unqualified manner, that each and every one of these charges, insofar as they relate to or involve me. are absolutely, unqualifiedly and atrociously false, and I here and now indignantly and defiantly denounce their authors, and each and every one of them, and brand them publicly as malicious and atrocious liars.

But I desire to be more specific, and therefore I further deny, in terms the most absolute and unqualified which I am capable of using, that I ever, either in the month of January, 1902, in the State of Oregon, or at any other time or place, unlawfully or feloniously, or otherwise, conspired with Binger Hermann, then Commissioner of the General Land Office, and S. A. D. Puter, Horace G. McKinley, D. W. Tarpley, Emma L. Watson, Salmon B. Ormsby, Clark E. Loomis, and William H. Davis, or with either or any of them, or with any other person or persons, to defraud the United States out of any part of its public land, located either in Township 11 South, Range 7 East, in the State of Oregon, or any other public lands either in the State of Oregon or elsewhere.

I assert furthermore, in the most absolute and unqualified manner that any and all statements by any person or persons to the effect that I ever, at any time or place, entered into a conspiracy with all or any of said persons, or they, or any of them, with me, to defraud the United States out of any part of its public lands in the State of Oregon or elsewhere, either by false or forged homestead applications, affidavits, or proofs, are absolutely, unqualifiedly, and atrociously false, and I defy my defamers and challenge them to produce any evidence, other than that of condemned thieves, forgers, and perjurers, to sustain any such charges.

I further deny, in the most absolute and unqualified terms, that said S. A. D. Puter did, either in the City of Washington, on March 9, 1902, or at any other time or place, offer me, or pay to, or give me—nor did I on March 9, 1902. in Washington, D. C. or at any other time or place, accept or receive from S. A. D. Puter—the sum of $2000 or any other amount whatever, either in two $1000 bills, or any other denomination or amount whatever, as an inducement to use my influence with Binger Hermann, then Commissioner of the General Land Office, to induce him as such Commissioner to pass to patent 12 certain homestead entries, or any homestead entries whatever, or for any other purpose.

And I here indignantly, with all the force I can command, denounce the public statement of S. A. D. Puter, that he, on March 9, 1902, at Washington, D. C, paid me $2000 in two $1000 bills, as wilfully, maliciously, unqualifiedly, and atrociously false, and I denounce the said S. A. D. Puter—this self-confessed and duly convicted land thief, forger, and perjurer, who, with his associates, facing the penitentiary, as having under promise of leniency or clemency, made by Francis

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